Rhythm and Rules
by charlietheepic7
Summary: Shinichi's travels with his parents have resulted in all sorts of adventures. But now that he's in Paris, Shinichi has to deal with a gentleman thief, a Napoleon cosplayer, and his mysterious dance teacher, Raphael. ShinichixRaphael
1. Chapter 1

**Rhythm and Rules**

 **By AllietheEpic7**

 **A Detective Conan/Rhythm Thief Crossover**

 **Chapter 1**

It was an hour until they landed in Paris and a screech of "He's dead!" resonated through first-class. Shinichi shot out of his seat, Tou-san close behind him. The stewardesses were understandably cautious. After all, two Japanese men—well, Shinichi was only 17, but that didn't matter—claiming to be able to solve the murder was suspicious to normal people. But Tou-san explained while Shinichi examined the corpse; as long as the plane was in the air, it was still American soil, but the moment it landed the case would be handed over to the French police and the murderer could escape in the confusion.

Shinichi gave Tou-san his observations and left his father to return to his seat. Kaa-san looked up from her magazine, one neatly plucked eyebrow raised. "Oh? You're not helping?"

"Tou-san has it covered," he answered. "As much as I'd like to solve it myself, I doubt I can do it in only an hour." Now both eyebrows were raised. "What's with that look?"

"Hmm? Nothing… You've just matured a lot in the past three years," she said, ruffling his hair. Shinichi jerked his head away. "In middle school, you would have insisted that you could do it."

He shrugged. "A murderer shouldn't have the chance to get away just because my ego is too big to let Tou-san work."

He didn't regret taking his parent's offer to travel the world with them. Sure, he couldn't see Ran in person, but they spent hours talking on Skype. And so what if he didn't have a big reputation as a teen detective? He had his entire life to make a name for himself! Because of his travels, Shinichi was tutored by the greatest minds in the world. He knew 4 languages—Japanese, English, French, and Korean. He was far more qualified than that Hattori Heiji bastard…

"So, honey…" Shinichi turned back to his mother. "I know you already play the violin, but since we're going to be staying in Paris for the next few weeks, I've set up a few tutors of the arts for you." He scowled; seriously? "Now, stop that. Now there are three tutors ready to teach you upon landing; you can choose any of them, or you can meet them first and then decide. Madam Laura Garnier can teach you how to sing, Madam Christelle Morin teaches painting, and Monsieur Raphael Laurent teaches dance."

Shinichi sighed, dismayed. He already knew he could neither sing nor paint from… past experiences in Japan. He suppressed a shudder at the memory. "I choose Laurent then." He relented.

Kaa-san squealed in the delight. "Oh, this is going to be wonderful! He's about your age, I think, so you'll be able to make two friends here instead of just one!"

"Yeah, that's right. Inspector Vergiar has a daughter too. Charlotte, right?"

She nodded. "Paul said that she's obsessed with becoming a detective. Maybe you both could start solving cases together with your father helps Paul with his thief problem."

"Maybe we could help…" Shinichi shrugged. He didn't really care about thieves, but he'd put up with them if Charlotte was willing… having another detective as a friend would be nice. Maybe she enjoyed Sherlock like Hakuba-kun and him! That would be incredible!

"You should ask when we land. Paul will be waiting for us."

"Okay Kaa-san."

 **A/N: Not the result of the Kaishin Drabbles poll. I just wanted a crossover between the two.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Shinichi looked at the apartment building in front of him, then back down to the piece of paper in his hand. This was the address… He'd expected a studio of some sort, something big and professional that his mother preferred. Thought this did make sense… his teacher, Monsieur Laurent, was supposedly his age. Perhaps he adapted an apartment into a studio?

Oh, well. He'd find out soon enough.

Squaring his shoulders, Shinichi strode into the building. Room 124, room 124… Ah! He found it! There was no doorbell, so Shinichi knocked. A dog barked.

"One moment!" a voice called out in French. The door opened a crack and a redheaded boy wedged himself in the space. Shinichi raised an eyebrow, receiving a sheepish smile. "Oh, merci. My dog's been trying to escape all day. You're Shinichi, right?" He held out his hand.

They shook; Shinichi felt very rough callouses on his hand. "That's correct," Shinichi said, fighting the urge to ask him to use his last name. It was just a culture thing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Raphael. I look forward to learning from you."

Raphael beamed. He looked younger than him, surprisingly, though that was probably just the large, round glasses covering his eyes. He was… kind of cute, actually. Shinichi blushed. "Fantastic. Come in and we'll start your lesson."

Shinichi squeezed through the opening, following Raphael into the room. He blinked in surprise. It was just a normal living room, but instead of having a TV on one wall, there was a few feet of ceiling-to-floor mirrors with a ballet bar. A small couch was pushed up against the opposite wall and on it was a small white dog that perked up when they walked into the room. The dog hopped off the couch and walked up to Shinichi, wagging his tail. Shinichi squatted down and scratched behind his ears.

"His name's Fondue."

"Like the cheese?" When he looked up, Raphael was smiling at them and nodded in response. Shinichi blushed and stood again. "So, should we get started?"

"Alright. Did you bring the workout clothes I asked you too?" Shinichi nodded. "Good. You can change in the bathroom. We're going to start with some stretching and then we're going to work on the waltz."

"The waltz? Why do we have to stretch for that?"

"We want it to become a habit. The waltz isn't hard with a sense of rhythm, but once we get it down, I want to teach you some other dances, including the tango and even some ballet."

Shinichi conceded and left to change into his shorts and tank top. When Shinichi returned, Raphael had also changed into workout paints and a t-shirt. Shinichi blushed again—he was wearing less than him. Raphael didn't seem to notice and waved him over. "Let's get started then."

As they stretched, Shinichi kept stealing glances at Raphael. Every few seconds, Raphael had to slide his glasses back up his nose—if he didn't, they'd fall and he'd try to catch them midair, almost always failing. Shinichi laughed as he bent down to touch his toes, only for the glasses to fall off again and land on Fondue's face. Raphael pouted at him. "You should be more careful with these," Shinichi picked them up and slid them back onto Raphael's face. "You wouldn't want them to break, would you? Glasses are expensive and you probably want to save as much money as possible."

"How'd you know that?"

"I'm a detective," Shinichi proclaimed with a grin. "I can figure out everything about you! For instances, when I shook your hand, I noticed that your callouses were very rough from friction with concrete. I deduce that not only are you skilled in classical dances, but you've also drabbled in breakdancing as well, without a mat too! I'm impressed; I've heard that breakdancing without a mat can hurt a lot."

Alarm flashed across Raphael's face. Shinichi was expecting that—the people he usually uses this trick on usually panic. He once told an FBI agent that he should stop feeding his two cats milk since most adult animals are lactose intolerant and he'd nearly shot Shinichi. Fortunately Raphael shook it off and tilted his head thoughtfully. "You're close. I know capoeira; it's a Brazilian martial art. It's more a dance than a fighting style, but it's very… fluid. I'll show you sometime."

"I'd like that," Shinichi said.

"So… shall we begin the show?"

 **A/N: I know that Raphael's fighting style in most cut scenes looks more like breakdancing than actual fighting (he mostly just does some fancy flips and runs), but I like the idea of him knowing capoeira. I watched a more than a few videos when I first watched Death Note. When I rewatched them, I thought it looked similar enough and it's a beautiful fighting style that needs more attention.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sighing moodily, Shinichi slouched in his chair and glared at the camera monitors. Everything was quiet; the only movement was the Constabulary moving about the Louvre. When Tou-san asked if he wanted to help catch Phantom R, he thought he'd have a more active role. But no, he was trapped in the recording room to help the guards chase R to Inspector Vergier's trap. Things could be worse. He could be Charlie—Charlotte's preferred name—who wasn't allowed to help.

He idly spun around in his swivel chair. This was _so boring_. Why'd he agree to this? He slowed to a stop and collapsed onto the consol. Oh yeah. Raphael had to cancel class because Fondue had to go to the vet.

A slight blush appeared on Shinichi's cheeks. Raphael was… nice. He reminded Shinichi of Ran almost. Having been around mostly detectives and police officers for the past few years, the difference between the two was clear—Raphael was optimistic. Detective had seen the worst the world had to offer and it makes them cynical, even Shinichi. Raphael didn't let himself become cynical. Shinichi had seen his hardships—no mention of parents, all family photos years old, one bedroom, kitchen empty but for the bare essentials… He wouldn't bring it up unless Raphael wanted to tell him, but underneath is happy-go-lucky exterior, Raphael was hiding his pain.

Shinichi could sympathize with him.

Wait, what was that? He stopped spinning to stare intently at one of the screens. There it was again! In the Roman exhibit, there was a flicker of movement in the dark blue shadows. Could it be… He saw a flash of white and red.

Yes. Yes it was.

He should call the Constabulary, he thought, reaching for the phone. Or… he could try to catch Phantom R himself.

No. He shook his head. He couldn't just compromise the plan's odds of working just to satisfy his own ego. Not only would Inspector Vergier be pissed at him for interfering, but Shinichi could potentially loose what little access he had to this case.

But when has the Constabulary's plans ever worked? Never. Phantom R has been robbing museums across France for the past two years and no one has been able to catch him. Why shouldn't he? Tou-san didn't even do anything to alter their plan.

Right now, he was probably the most capable detective in the building.

He jumped from his chair and raced out of the recording room, the door locking automatically behind him. Shinichi ran to the Roman section, darting out of sight every time he saw a police officer, like he was the thief instead of the detective. But he couldn't let them see him, they'd stop him before help him.

Without noticing, a smirk pulled up the corners of his mouth, excitement shining in his eyes. He had a thief to catch.

And this time, Phantom R wouldn't get away.

 **A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating lately. I hate writing at home, it's like I have no desire or anything. I can't wait to get back to college.**


	4. Chapter 4 I added more

**Chapter 4**

Phantom R got away.

Even a day later, Shinichi still couldn't believe it. After leaving the control room, he had confronted Phantom R near the romantic style paintings. A soccer ball from his backpack knocked the thief down and Shinichi hand lunged, edger for the arrest close at hand.

But… he'd gotten cocky. And for it, Phantom R escaped. In a single move, Phantom R had both sprung back to his feet and kick Shinichi to the side, tossing him away like he was made of paper. As if that humiliation wasn't enough, Inspector Vergier had banned from assisting in another heist, rightfully blaming Shinichi for Phantom R's escape and preventing Shinichi from enacting vengeance upon the thief.

He was absolutely pissed; at Phantom R, yes, but mostly at himself. He thought he'd gotten over this, grown past the arrogance that had nearly killed him in middle school, the insistence that he do everything himself. If Ran hadn't found him in time… He shook his head. He couldn't focus on "what if"s anymore.

What he had to do was figure out how to catch Phantom R without access to his heists. The Inspector would never let him in again and Tou-san wouldn't either. Tou-san hadn't mentioned his failure, but Shinichi could tell—he was disappointed in Shinichi. Shinichi didn't blame him, he _had_ ruined Tou-san's carefully laid plan after all, but it still stung. Try as he might, Shinichi couldn't recall the last time his father was _actually_ disappointed with him.

Had it ever happened before?

Regardless, Shinichi's mind was set. He'd capture Phantom R come hell or high water.

But for now, he needs to get to class, so Shinichi knocked on Raphael's door and greeted him with a smile. "Hey, Raphael. I'm not too early, am I?"

Raphael's face morphed from surprised to a grin. "No, not at all! Come right in."

Shinichi slipped past him into the apartment. Fondue perked up and barked from the couch, so Shinichi sat next to him and started to scratch his ears. "So, what was wrong with Fondue?"

"Huh?"

"You never said why Fondue had to go to the vet, so I assumed it was something serious. But he looks perfectly fine…"

"Oh, yeah!" Raphael laughed sheepishly. "I guess I just overreacted. He threw up and I thought he ate something he wasn't supposed to. Sorry about the inconvenience."

"It wasn't a problem." Though Shinichi could have sworn he said something about a cut last night on the phone… He shook his head. He probably imagined it. "Honestly, I would have rather been here. Stupid Phantom R and his pretty hair…" he muttered.

"Phantom R? You mean you were at his heist last night?" Raphael sounded excited. "And you think his hair is pretty?"

Shinichi groaned, slumping in his seat, his head thudding against the wall. "I don't want to talk about it. But yeah, his hair's pretty, what little I could see of it anyway." It red, like Raphael's, but Shinichi was sure his assessment of the color was off by several pigments; the only light had been from the crescent moon outside, so any visuals were to be mistrusted. "Are you a fan?"

Raphael sat beside him, scooping Fondue into his lap. "Yeah, a lot of people are. There's even a fake Phantom R that's been hanging out around the carnival."

He snorted. "Well, I'm definitely not one. I messed up so bad…"

"What happened?"

He looked away, his hand rubbing his side. He ignored the sting of pain. "It's nothing. I decided to go after Phantom R alone… and paid the price for it."

"What are you talking about… oh God."

Raphael had pulled up Shinichi's shirt. Over his ribs, bruises had blossomed across previously unmarred skin. Raphael's fingers flittered around the wound, never quite touching it, before pulling away, his expression one of horror. "What… how did this…?"

"Phantom R." Shinichi explained. Raphael flinched. "When I confronted him, if you could call it that, he wiped the floor with me. Literally, I slid across the floor into a display case." He tugged his shirt back down. "It's okay, it looks worse than it is. It's not like my ribs are fractured." That had happened to him before, on a case in Kenya. Not fun. "It shouldn't impede my dancing."

"I'm not letting you dance today."

"What? But what about—"

"It doesn't matter; I'll refund your money if I have too." His tone left no room for argument. "I'm not going to risk the chance of you getting hurt again, so get over it."

"I can still work—"

"Dancing while injured will only teach you how to dance incorrectly."

"Then what am I supposed to do? All my other classes are online and the Constabulary will refuse any attempts to assist their caseload after last night's blunder." A bitter taste coated his mouth. "I'm practically useless." His father, disappointed in him and always working, his mother, off to another social event, one after another… if Shinichi had known he'd be so alone while traveling with his parents, he would have just stayed home.

"Why don't you just spend the day with me?" Shinichi tilted his head, confused, so Raphael continued. "I enjoy your company. I could take you around Paris, see some of the lesser known sites, maybe even get dinner…?" He sounded hopeful, wringing his hands.

"Raphael…" Shinichi said slowly. "Are you… asking me on a date?"

"I-I mean… if you want it to be a date…" Raphael's face was completely red, all the way up to his ears. "I… wouldn't say no… if you were into that sort of thing…"

Shinichi smiled and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. He squeaked; adorable! "It's a date then."

 **A/N: I'm tired of writing slow-burn where both people have to realize that their queer. Nope, this time I'm writing two well-adjusted bi-boys, you're all welcome.**


End file.
